


love like fools

by loaf (rkivedmemories)



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Arguments, Childhood Friends, Denial of Feelings, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Language, Misunderstandings, Music Major Hueningkai, Rivalry, but not?, communication? whats that, lots of them - Freeform, music major soobin, side tyunning, soogyu, theatre major beomgyu, theatre major taehyun, theatre major yeonjun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28378269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rkivedmemories/pseuds/loaf
Summary: sometimes when things are left unsaid, it causes more harm than good.beomgyu always knew how to push soobin's buttons and make him do impulsive things. they both jumped at any chance to ruin any chance the other had at love.they hated each other.(or did they?)
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Choi Soobin, Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51
Collections: TXT Secret Santa Fic Fest 2020





	love like fools

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreaminglows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaminglows/gifts).



> to my recipient:
> 
> happy holidays, i don't think i did your prompt justice but i hope you enjoy nonetheless. 
> 
> song title is from [fools by lauren aquilina](https://youtu.be/uodUCtmCRME)

“ _I ask it in the empty void_. _Who am I to you_?”

 _Ghosting_ - _Tomorrow x Together_

Soobin groaned as the sight of Choi Beomgyu popped in unannounced and took the seat that previously belonged to his date, who was conveniently not present anymore, and grinned at him.

“Hey there Soobin,” Beomgyu greeted before he took a fry from Soobin’s plate and popped it into his mouth with a cocky expression on his face. Soobin felt a migraine coming on, but he decided to just let Beomgyu continue on with eating the abandoned food. He already paid for it, might as well not waste the money. A broke college student’s money was precious afterall.

Still, he wished he used his money on his date rather than on someone like Choi Beomgyu.

“Didn’t waste time today and got straight to it, huh?” Soobin sneered as Beomgyu continued to eat. The younger shrugged and smiled innocently.

“I saw the opportunity for free food and took the chance,” he replied nonchalantly while Soobin rolled his eyes at him. 

Of course, Beomgyu would do that, it was infuriating. 

"Don't you have a paper due tomorrow anyways? What are you even doing out right now?"

Soobin ignored the younger, even though he was right, and continued on with eating his food. This was like what? The one hundredth date of his Beomgyu ruined? Not like he was any better but he couldn't believe they were still at it. 

He purposely ignored the tiny voice telling him he's a hypocrite and glared at the cause of his internal dilemma his— rival? enemy?— across from him. Soobin could never figure the man out, even if he has sort of known him for a long time. 

The traitorous voice chimed in again and told Soobin he never actually got to know Beomgyu despite living near each other and knowing of each other’s existence since they were small. Meeting eyes with the brown-haired man confirmed it too. On the outside, he looked mischievous and happy-go-lucky, but there was something off putting about his eyes. 

They were too serious. Cold. 

He pushed those thoughts away and sat there letting his eyes scan over the restaurant, purposely avoiding looking at a certain someone. The neon lights and the atmosphere it created was one of the things that made him love this particular restaurant. The way the dim lighting made it hard to see who was who made it feel a little mysterious? It did to him, and he loved it. Soobin’s eyes slowly moved back to his… dining partner and he noted how the lighting clearly favored Beomgyu. He found it a little unfair, he was so sure he looked horrible and then there comes his rival waltzing in and doing nothing, still managing to look ten times better than Soobin.

Beomgyu smirked once he saw the dazed look on Soobin’s face that indicated the other was lost in thought. Now was the perfect time to mess with him. He reached out to grab Soobin’s food again, only to be stopped by Soobin's hand snatching his. They held eye contact for a few seconds before Soobin coughed and averted his eyes. He awkwardly took a sip of his water and kept looking everywhere but at Beomgyu.

Seriously. Why was he here again? 

"What'd you tell my date this time?" Soobin asked. What did Beomgyu know that would be able to make his date leave so quickly? He racked his brain and tried to think of just what dirt the younger had on him but gave up once he couldn't tell what it was. There was no use, Beomgyu knew _a lot_ and it was impossible to know what card he pulled this time.

"Just told them about the prank you pulled on them in freshman year of high school," Beomgyu replied with a mischievous smile. Soobin scoffed before taking a bite of his food. Seriously, that was it? "I think I saved you there." 

They continued to eat in silence, Soobin was lost in thought while Beomgyu was eating his free meal, content and happy. He was getting a little tired of this _thing_ they had going on. They weren’t dumb teens anymore, they were adults and it had to stop at some point, right? He didn’t think he could take this any longer, he wanted to find someone eventually. Looking over at Beomgyu, he had a feeling the other didn't feel the same way. He looked too pleased with himself.

"Aren't you tired of this?" Soobin blurted out before he could stop himself. Beomgyu looked at him confused and Soobin decided to continue knowing that there was no turning back at this point. "Aren't you tired of this petty… rivalry… or whatever we have going on?"

"Why would I be?"

"It’s getting tiring dealing with this so let's just stop."

Soobin closed his eyes, the lights from the restaurant irritating his eyes. His head was pounding, and his palms were beginning to become sweaty. Why was he so nervous about this?

"I bet you don't even remember how this started," Beomgyu muttered bitterly. Soobin overheard, confusion washed over him, he felt like there was something he was missing. 

"Why? Is it because you like me and you're jealous?" he taunted, instantly regretting it. He internally groaned and wondered why he was so loose lipped today. 

The lights masked the flush that appeared on Beomgyu’s face as his jaw dropped open. He honestly knew Soobin would say some comment like that but of course, like the fool he was, tried to reason with an unreasonable person.

“Seriously?”

“What? I am not a mind reader; I don’t know what you’re feeling or thinking. So, why don’t you communicate like a fucking adult for once?” Soobin demanded, subconsciously slamming his fist on the table. Seeing Beomgyu’s startled expression he felt a bit guilty and slowly let his hand drop from the table. 

“I’m _trying_ , but you go and pull bullshit like this where you make irrelevant comments and avoid talking about the problem at hand,” Beomgyu retorted, barely able to keep the anger from his voice. He saw the grimace on Soobin’s face and knew that he regretted his words and actions, but at the moment Beomgyu didn’t care, even though he knew that he would come to regret his words much, much later.

“You know what, I’m done with putting up with this. I already paid, you probably already knew that, at least tip. It’s the least you could do,” Soobin spat before picking up his coat and storming out of the restaurant, leaving behind an unfinished meal and a hurt Beomgyu. If Beomgyu didn't want to stop, fine, but the next attempt would be Soobin's last, he'd just have to up his game.

_love like fools_

Soobin grimaced as he walked through the cold street. In his anger he forgot to get a ride, so he was stuck walking to his dorm in the snow. Allowing the anger to overtake him was his first mistake— no, allowing Beomgyu to even sit was his first mistake… or maybe it was going on that date. 

The music major shook his head. No, he shouldn't let those thoughts get to him. He sighed, another good day ruined and once again he let the words of Choi Beomgyu get to him. This was the first time they've ever had an argument though. Sure, they usually bickered but Soobin has never lost his temper, well at least with Beomgyu. 

He rubbed his tired eyes with his hands and stared at the snow that slowly started to fall. 

Cold, empty, the streets perfectly reflected how he felt now that he calmed down. He felt lonely. 

A bittersweet smile spread across his face. 

A ping interrupted his thoughts and he checked to see that his best friend, Taehyun, sent him a message. 

**tyun:**

_how is it going_?

[7:08 PM]

Oh yeah, he kind of forgot what he originally went out for and that Taehyun would want to know everything about it.

**sorbet:**

_i left, I'm heading back to the dorms now_.

[7:10 PM]

Soobin put down his phone and tried to pay attention to where he was going. The twinkling lights caught his eyes and he smiled. The holiday season was one of his favorites and he couldn't wait to start decorating and gift hunting soon. A few moments later his phone went off and he quickly read the message.

**tyun:**

_what?? why? btw kai says hi_.

[7:13 PM]

**sorbet:**

_guess. tell him i said hi_.

[7:13 PM]

**tyun:**

_beomgyu_?

[7:14 PM]

**sorbet:**

_yeah_. 

[7:15 PM]

It went silent, no new notification from his friend, Soobin was a little confused before he heard his ringtone start playing and his phone started vibrating. Seeing that it was Taehyun, he quickly answered.

"Hey."

Soobin mentally thanked his friend for providing a distraction.

" _So… Beomgyu again, huh_?"

"Yup."

He heard Taehyun mumbling to someone on the other end and assumed he was talking to his boyfriend, Huening Kai. 

" _We could talk to him if you'd like, rehearsals for our next show start soon. Anyways, why don’t you tell us what happened_?"

_love like fools_

Taehyun looked over to Huening Kai who just fondly shook his head at Soobin's rant. 

"I wish they'd just date already. It'd save us and them time," Taehyun whispered to Huening Kai. "But I suppose they have _a lot_ to talk about first."

Huening Kai nodded his head in agreement. It was quite obvious that at least Beomgyu had some feelings for Soobin. 

"They definitely do."

Huening Kai leaned on Taehyun's shoulder as they both listened to Soobin's night. They really didn't fully understand why Soobin and Beomgyu keep doing this, but both have a suspicion it's due to feelings they may or may not have. They weren't really sure; all they know is that the two have known each other since forever. Taehyun and Huening Kai met these two only during high school, so they weren't sure what happened back then. 

Obviously, something did, but it seemed like even Soobin didn't know. 

The pair both knew that they would probably have to urge one of them to talk it out eventually. They'd rather not butt in, but seeing their friends argue and get hurt because each other concerned them.

A few minutes after the call with Soobin, they called someone they knew they could rely on to talk to Beomgyu.

Yeonjun was possibly the only one Beomgyu would listen to anyways. 

_love like fools_

A few days later, Soobin was studying for an upcoming evaluation when Beomgyu stormed into the campus cafe and promptly dragged him out, Yeonjun trailing behind with a sorry expression on his face. He sent his friend a questioning look, but he just winced and shrugged. Soobin was genuinely confused with what was going on, but Beomgyu had him in a tight grip and didn’t seem like he would let go any time soon. 

“Are you serious?” Beomgyu fumed once they reached a secluded hallway. Yeonjun awkwardly stood off to the side, frantically texting someone who Soobin guessed was either Taehyun or Huening Kai. Soobin leaned on the pillar behind him and sent the theatre major an unimpressed look. 

“What now?”

Soobin could see the rage behind Beomgyu’s eyes and shivered. It was the first time in a while since he has seen Beomgyu’s emotions clearly. Usually, he was closed off but now all the music major could see was rage, and it was directed at him.

“You can’t just act all _innocent_ , Choi Soobin! Why did you go around telling people we were _dating_!?”

Soobin’s eyes widened. Oh that. He totally forgot about that. He didn’t mean for it to spread, he only told Beomgyu’s new interest, but apparently it spread, and it spread _fast_. 

Now that he thought about it, Soobin supposed that wasn’t one of his brightest ideas. He made eye contact with Beomgyu and saw the anger and hurt in his eyes and winced. Yup, _definitely_ one of his worst schemes yet. 

“Yeah, imagine my surprise when I start talking to Minjun and he tells me he was confused because he thought I was dating you.” 

At this point, Beomgyu was getting closer and closer to Soobin, which scared the taller a little bit. He saw Yeonjun getting ready to intervene, but he shook his head and his friend stayed back. 

“Look, I didn’t mean for everyone to find out. I just wanted to pull one last major scheme so you’d give up,” Soobin said after a moment of silence. Beomgyu rolled his eyes but allowed for him to continue with a gesture of his hand. “I’m just tired of playing this dumb game with you. Can’t we just stop? I don’t even know what I did.”

Soobin looked down to the floor, not feeling the confidence to meet Beomgyu’s eyes again. He heard a scoff and glanced up to see Beomgyu still looking mad, albeit a little less than before. Soobin thought it was a tiny improvement, but Beomgyu’s anger was justified. Soobin did fuck up.

Beomgyu leaned on the wall and sighed, trying to compose himself.

“I guess you’re not pretending to not remember what you did. Or you're probably not even aware of what happened,” Beomgyu said before looking at Soobin and laughing bitterly. “Forget it.”

Soobin could only watch as Beomgyu walked away leaving him a little confused. That empty feeling from his failed date night came back. It weighed heavily on him and he sighed. 

_What was happening?_

He saw Taehyun and Huening Kai approaching and Yeonjun started to retell what happened. Soobin felt a little drained and couldn’t bring himself to listen. He stiffly stood up and started walking back to the cafe, ignoring the concerned gazes he felt on him

_love like fools_

After talking to Taehyum and getting a scolding from Yeonjun, Soobin made the decision to invite Beomgyu out for an apology and to have a long overdue talk (his friends’ words, not his).

It took a long time for Beomgyu to accept, as he was still rightfully mad at Soobin but he eventually did.

Soobin, with the help of his friends, managed to set up a nice picnic in a park not too far from their dorms. It was a little hard to coordinate with exams coming up so soon, but he was able to and was proud of himself. Beomgyu looked mildly impressed with Soobin had set up, and the music major counted that as a win. 

They didn’t say much, Soobin was still trying to find the words to say and Beomgyu was too tired to put on that cheerful persona. 

Beomgyu brought his script for his latest show with him, and he was quietly flipping through it while leaning on a cushion. Soobin laid on the blanket and stared up at the clouds to gather his thoughts for a second. The clouds slowly moving calmed him and it really helped his nervousness right now. 

His and Beomgyu’s relationship was a bit weird and complex. They were neighbors and they’ve practically known each other their whole lives. Soobin even has very faint memories of them playing together, but they weren’t friends now. It was a little weird. Their situation though, allowed for them to compile a lot of dirt and blackmail each other, which is what they both used to ruin any potential for love. 

Now that Soobin sat and thought about it, this whole situation was weird, and he really didn’t know why it started. It seemed Beomgyu does know though, and that he was supposed to as well. 

“Hey,” Soobin started, catching Beomgyu’s attention. Beomgyu put down the script and glanced at him. “Uh, first of all I want to start this off with an apology. I’m so sorry for what I pulled.” 

Beomgyu nodded and went back to reading. 

Soobin didn’t know if that meant his apology was accepted, but he didn’t say anything else and continued to watch the clouds. 

Minutes passed before anyone said anything. It wasn’t until Beomgyu sighed and put down his script that the silence was broken.

“Yeonjun-hyung told me you genuinely don’t know why we started it. I guess I’ll remind you,” Beomgyu began. He stared ahead not wanting to look Soobin in the eyes. “It was in my junior year of high school when I had a crush on someone.” 

Beomgyu stopped and took a deep breath, he glanced over to Soobin to check if he was listening before he continued. 

“I knew I stood no chance with them, so I tried to move on. Eventually I did, I had a crush on someone else and I actually had a chance. This was your friend Hyunjae.”

Soobin remembered Hyunjae, he was a little mean and Soobin ended up dropping him once he realized how toxic he was. 

“So Hyunjae and I weren’t too serious, I thought he was an okay dude. Then one day he says he never wants to associate with me anymore. I asked him why and he said to ask you because you revealed some information about me that made him not like me anymore. It made sense because at that point you were the only who knew me well enough to say anything. I was really invested in that relationship but the one I—” He stopped himself before he revealed anything else and let Soobin reply. He barely had any confidence back then, so hearing those words really hurt.

“I only ever remember telling Hyunjae things you like and don't like," Soobin confessed. "What part of your junior year was this?"

"The second half I think?"

Soobin frowned. Strange. He was pretty sure...

"I remember Hyunjae having a girlfriend at the time though…" Soobin trailed off as he realized what happened. It seemed Beomgyu did too if the really hurt look on his face indicated anything. 

"So, he probably lied about you then, huh?"

"Yup..." 

Beomgyu let out a strained chuckle that eventually turned into full blown laughter. Soobin sent him a concerned look and was alarmed to see that Beomgyu started crying. 

"So, I guess this whole thing started because of a cheating douchebag. Oh God," Beomgyu said as curled into himself and wiped his tears. "This whole time… I thought the guy I tried to get over ruined my chance with the guy I dated to get over him…" 

Soobin was shocked. Him? He was Beomgyu's old crush?

"Wait. I was the original guy you had a crush on?"

"Yeah, which is why I was so angry and hurt when I thought you did something to ruin my relationship. I'm such a child. This was so dumb."

"I can't deny that it was a _little_ dumb, but your feelings are still valid. If I remember correctly, it was around this time when you figured out you liked guys as well. You probably felt vulnerable, which is understandable. I don't think any one could blame you. If you're going to be that way, then I am also at fault for letting this continue on and not talking to you about it." 

Beomgyu didn't say anything else and Soobin allowed him to collect himself. He was probably overwhelmed and Soobin understood.

"Yeah... I guess it really hurt me and my confidence lowered when I heard that," Beomgyu confessed quietly, voice barely above a whisper. "I've always liked you; I think I do even now. I'm not sure really."

"I don't really have a response to that right now."

Soobin started poking at the grass to distract himself. This whole thing was strange, there was definitely more talking to do and feelings to sort out. 

"Look, obviously we have a lot more to address but it's not going to happen overnight. I can tell you're a bit overwhelmed so we can discuss this later. Why don't we start off as friends and see where we go from there?"

Beomgyu gave him a small smile.

"Sounds good."

"Perfect. Now, let's eat and not let this food go to waste."

_love like fools_

Soobin never expected to be in this position, completely in love with Choi Beomgyu. It was very unexpected, but he wasn't complaining. After months of hanging out more with Beomgyu, the music major found himself enamored by his charms.

After a few weeks of talking out their problems, they would spend countless hours talking on the phone and talking about the past memories.

Beomgyu had better memory and would never fail to remind Soobin of an embarrassing moment from their childhood. It was a little mortifying to remember those moments from the past, but Beomgyu's smile and infectious laughter made it worth it. 

Eventually, all five of the friends started to hang out more too. Soobin thought that it was inevitable seeing as the only ones not friends were just him and Beomgyu but he never expect that it would be this way. The five of them meeting up, going out, and even spending night together in one of their dorms.

As he spent more time with Beomgyu and his friends, he got to see a different side of him, and maybe that was what drew Soobin in.

The Beomgyu he knew was cold and had on a fake cheery persona while the Beomgyu he was getting to know was a very caring, mischievous but gentle, and very reliable person.

Usually, Taehyun was the one Soobin would turn to during tough times, but when Taehyun wasn't available he found himself turning to Beomgyu. It was a different type of support than what he was used to, but Beomgyu was able to read him and help him out without Soobin needing to say much. He was very grateful for that.

Beomgyu has confessed too that he never expected this side of Soobin. He told the music major that this side of him that he got to see was kind, very funny, and was always willing to lend a hand to his friends. 

They were a weird pair, but they somehow fit together. 

They still tease each other relentlessly and sometimes pull pranks on their friends (their favorite target was Yeonjun). Soobin had a lot of fun with Beomgyu, and he felt free, and most of all he wasn't lonely anymore. 

Looking back to that cold, winter night when he stormed out of the restaurant feeling empty, he never would've guessed that he'd be here now. It was a bit funny.

Two months into summer and he was now ready to ask Beomgyu to be his boyfriend. 

He hid the bouquet he had gotten for the theatre major to congratulate him for a great performance. Tonight was the last day of the show Beomgyu was the main lead for, and Soobin wanted to make sure he attended and brought a gift. After consulting with Taehyun and talking out his feelings with Yeonjun and Huening Kai, he decided that now was the perfect time to confess. He asked Beomgyu to take a walk with him after he got his stage makeup and costume off.

Beomgyu put on a spectacular show and Soobin was so proud of him. He knew the other spent countless nights rehearsing and working on his facial expressions. He worked so hard and it paid off. Beomgyu was a hard worker and always gave his performances his all.

"Congrats on a successful show," Soobin said while smiling before handing Beomgyu the bouquet.

"Oo, a present for me. Thank you, Soobin," Beomgyu replied while taking the flowers. He sniffed the flowers and hummed in delight at the sweet scent. 

The two sat down on one of the benches nearby. Beomgyu in his grey sweats he usually wore for rehearsals and Soobin in a button up and black pants. 

"So, I've been meaning to ask you this for a while, but do you want to go on a date sometime soon?" Soobin asked, voice sounding hopeful. 

Beomgyu smiled, he looked a little tired but very happy.

"Sure, so does this mean I can call you my boyfriend now?"

Soobin laughed. "Yeah. Wow, thinking back on everything, it feels surreal."

"I get what you mean. To think that this all happened because I was a fool in love."

"And to think that I am one now too."

They weren't perfect, they had their faults and old scars never heal, but they found happiness in each other and that's all that matters now. They fight sometimes and a slip of the tongue happens occasionally, but they promised to start something new together and to see where it will go, no matter the outcome. 

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. due to poor time management i wasn't able to write as much as id like  
> 2\. pacing is rlly bad ;-; 
> 
> anyways, if theres any mistakes im so sorry!!! i hope everyone enjoyed reading it, especially the recipient. happy holidays everyone, i love you all!!


End file.
